First birthday of special gift to support bereaved children and young people

Young volunteers at Nelson’s Journey are celebrating the first anniversary of the Smiles & Tears Gift Box.

The majority of the charity’s young volunteers have been bereaved. They all felt that many adults and friends around them didn’t know what to say to them when their special person died. They felt passionate about creating a Gift Box with information, therapeutic activities and treats to support and provide comfort to children and young people during this difficult time.

Tom was referred to Nelson’s Journey for support following the death of his Mum in a road traffic collision in December 2014. He said “People don’t always know what to say when someone has died, so we designed a box of goodies for children and young people to use when they feel they need them. Everything inside the box would be helpful and could help me feel better.”

Items contained within the box include: Gnaw chocolate bar, soft toy, a journal to record thoughts and feelings, mindfulness colouring postcards focusing on common emotions experienced following a bereavement, a happy jar to record and store positive memories and tissues with the message ‘It is OK to cry’.

Jeremiah was referred to the charity for support following the death of his best friend and sister. His favourite item within the box is the happy jar, he says “The happy jar is a fantastic way to look back on memories of your loved one. Whenever you are sad you can look back and cherish on pleasant times you've had - helping you understand it wasn't always difficult.”

All funds generated from the sales of the Smiles & Tears Gift Box are being re-invested into the project so that it can continue to support bereaved children and young people.

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On Sunday 14th April, Nelson’s Journey hosted a huge Easter Egg Hunt to raise money for bereaved children and young people in Norfolk. The event, for families of children who have been supported by the charity, was also open to the public to enjoy. The hunt, which took place in the private grounds of Barningham Hall in Matlaske, Norfolk, welcomed over 1000 visitors.

Activities included a traditional Easter Egg Hunt in the woodland, a tree of memories, where guests could write an Easter message in memory of a special person who had died, a spring animal petting area, traditional fete games, themed arts and crafts and an Easter bonnet competition. Guests were also treated to delicious street food from Norfolk suppliers including Fat Teds Streat Food and Waffle Works. Over £3500 was raised from the event, which will go back into supporting more children and young people locally, struggling after the death of an important person in their lives.

Holding a Purple Picnic helps raise vital funds so that Nelson’s Journey can keep supporting bereaved children, living in Norfolk, who are struggling to cope following the death of a special person.

A Purple Picnic is a wonderful way to make memories with friends, family and colleagues. You don’t have to limit yourself to a traditional picnic, all you need to do is make sure there is an opportunity for everyone to come together, enjoy some food and make positive memories.

We are asking the Norfolk Community to hold their own Purple Picnic this July. Your donations will make a difference to bereaved children and young people living in Norfolk

The achievements of young volunteers who support a child bereavement charity in Norfolk have been celebrated at an awards ceremony held at Oaklands Hotel in Norwich. The young people, who all give up their time for local charity Nelson’s Journey, had volunteered for a total of 1418 hours over the course of 2018, with 26 of them honoured on the night.

The young people, 12 of whom make up the Nelson’s Journey Youth Panel, and 14 of them who make up the Young Volunteers, are all aged 11 to 17, and give up their time, enthusiasm and ideas to help bereaved children and young people. Many of the young volunteers have previously used Nelson’s Journey’s services after the death of a special person in their life and have now come back to volunteer their expertise to the charity, helping to develop innovative products and services to help others who find themselves in a similar situation.

This June, 17-year-old Georgie Boast from Great Plumstead is embarking on a walk to remember her beloved father. Along with dozens of others, she and her family will be doing the Sponsored Walk of Smiles for Nelson’s Journey, Norfolk’s child bereavement charity, to remember her dad, Mark, who died in 2010 after a collision with a van whilst riding his motorbike, when Georgie was just 9.

Along with her mum, Louise, and siblings Ashleigh, 15, and Serena, 12, Georgie will join other families who have also been bereaved, to remember Mark’s life and walk in his memory. They are encouraging others who have also been bereaved to join them, and raising money to support the charity which helped them through some of their most difficult times

Nelson’s Journey, Norfolk’s charity supporting bereaved children are today launching exam guidance for young people who have experienced the death of a significant person in their life.

Through their work, the charity have become aware of a number of bereaved young people who have been affected by the content of an exam question, particularly when that content is specifically referring to a bereavement experience.

A young person who received support from the charity sat an English language exam in which they were required to explore creative writing. The text chosen referred to a Mum who was dying of cancer and the impact this had on the family. The text was an accurate reflection of their own life story, as their Mum had died just a few months earlier in very similar circumstances.